Local
AU graduate credited with securing passage of Del. transgender rights bill
Sarah McBride testified for Senate Bill 97 three times
Sarah McBride (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The transgender woman who advocates credit with securing passage of Delaware’s transgender rights bill told the Washington Blade on Monday she simply did the right thing.
“My mother and I went down (to Dover) and talked about what it means to be transgender, why for us this bill is necessary, why for the community this bill is necessary,” Sarah McBride said.
McBride, a Wilmington, Del., resident who was the student body president at American University from 2011-2012, came out as trans last May in an op-ed she wrote for the D.C. school’s student newspaper. She had been involved with Equality Delaware for several years, and joined the LGBT advocacy group’s Board of Directors after she came out.
McBride and her mother six months ago began meeting with Dover lawmakers in support of Senate Bill 97 that added gender identity and expression to Delaware’s anti-discrimination and hate crimes laws.
She told the Blade they “certainly fielded our fair share of questions about bathrooms and locker rooms and ‘unintended consequences’ of this bill.” McBride said the questions she and her mother received from legislators did not come as a surprise in spite of their personal nature.
“The vast majority of legislators and the vast majority of questions were completely respectful and were either friendly questions or were hard questions that just needed to be answered,” she said. “At minimum constituents would be asking those questions and they needed answers.”
McBride testified in support of SB 97 three times in the Delaware Senate and House. She also appeared in an Equality Delaware video in support of the bill.
She said she “briefly” met Delaware Family Policy Council President Nicole Theis, who repeatedly spoke against the bill.
McBride noted a woman who opposed SB 97 threatened “to hurt me if she saw me in the bathroom” after she testified in support of the measure in the House.
“I feel bad for them that they feel the need to put other people down,” she said. “I don’t take it personally. I think the vast majority of comments that people make that aren’t positive comments are out of ignorance and not out of hatred.”
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell last Wednesday signed SB 97 into law after the Senate approved a slightly amended version of the bill that passed in the House by a 24-17 vote margin.
The governor described McBride, who worked on his 2008 election campaign and was his personal aide when she interned for him after he took office, as an “intelligent and talented Delawarean” before he signed SB 97 into law.
“She courageously stood before the General Assembly to describe her personal struggles with gender identity and communicate her desire to return home after her college graduation without fear,” Markell said. “Her tireless advocacy for passage of this legislation has made a real difference for all transgender people in Delaware.”
Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe also applauded McBride, who also interned for his organization.
“Congratulations to the many advocates and lawmakers who fought for this important victory,” he said after Markell signed SB 97 into law. ”Among them was our former intern, Sarah McBride, whose family stood with her as she bravely came out as trans and asked her state for full equality under law. I’m so proud of Sarah and her parents.”
McBride, who graduated from American University last month, described the governor’s comments as “an incredible honor.”
She acknowledged trans advocates were angry over the anti-discrimination bill that Markell signed into law in 2009 that included sexual orientation, but not gender identity and expression. McBride added, however, SB 97 proves “our government is an ally” for trans Delawareans.
“It says that our state and our community is finally a safe and secure place for us to live, to visit, to raise a family,” she said. “It gives hope to — I hope — a lot of people, both transgender people who are out and also people who are struggling with their gender identity, that they know that Delaware is a welcoming place for them and for all people.”
Sarah McBride and other Equality Delaware members celebrate the final passage of Senate Bill 97 on June 19 (Photo courtesy of Equality Delaware)
Virginia
Parades, community events held to mark Pride Month in Va.
Upwards of 30,000 people attended PrideFest in Norfolk on June 22
Activists across Virginia last month held a series of events to mark Pride Month.
Hampton Roads Pride, a volunteer-run organization founded in 1997, held 37 different Pride events throughout the region in June.
Their biggest event, PrideFest, which is part of their larger three day event, Pride Weekend, celebrated its 36th anniversary on June 22. Pride Weekend took place from June 21-23 and began with a block party at NorVa in Norfolk.
PrideFest took place at Town Point Park, and an estimated 30,000 people attended. More than 70 venders participated, while Todrick Hall and Mariah Counts are among those who performed.
Another PrideFest event with a DJ in the afternoon and live music at night took place in Virginia Beach on June 23. Congressman Bobby Scott and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) are among those who attended Pride events in Suffolk on June 30.
Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, along with members of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Councils, also attended the Pride events in their respective cities. Jamar Walker, the first openly gay federal judge in Virginia, also took part.
“You know people all throughout Pride Month, at all of our various events, tell me all kinds of stories about their own experiences and the past of this community … and some of our older folks especially, remember when we couldn’t have this,” Hampton Roads Pride President Jeff Ryder told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview.
“It was a great year,” he added. “It was a big achievement for us to have unique celebrations in each of our seven communities. Each of these cities is so different from one another, but to be able to create a Pride celebration that’s unique in each of those places was really great, and I think really well received by folks who may not have felt represented previously. We’re always trying to do better, to embrace every aspect of our community, and take a big step forward there this year.”
State Dels. Adele McClure (D-Arlington County) and Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington County) are among those who spoke at Arlington Pride that took place at Long Bridge Park on June 29. The Fredericksburg Pride march and festival took place the same day at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on June 10 hosted a Pride Month reception in Richmond.
Youngkin in previous years has hosted Pride Month receptions, even though Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups have criticized him for supporting anti-LGBTQ bills.
The Republican governor in March signed a bill that codified marriage equality in Virginia. Youngkin last month vetoed a measure that would have expanded the definition of bullying in the state.
Baltimore
Baltimore street named in honor of trans activist
Iya Dammons is founder of support groups Safe Haven in Baltimore, D.C.
Baltimore city officials and LGBTQ activists participated in a ceremony on June 29 officially dedicating the renaming of a street in honor of transgender woman Iya Dammons, who founded and serves as executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Maryland Safe Haven.
A section of Baltimore’s 21st Street at the intersection of North Charles Street, where the Maryland Safe Haven offices are located, has been renamed Iya Dammons Way.
The ceremony took place six years after Dammons founded Maryland Safe Haven in 2018 and one year after she launched a Safe Haven operation in D.C.in 2023 located at 331 H St., N.E.
A statement on its website says Safe Haven provides a wide range of supportive services for LGBTQ people in need, with a special outreach to Black trans women “navigating survival mode” living.
“Through compassionate harm reduction and upward mobility services, advocacy support, and community engagement, we foster a respectful, non-judgmental environment that empowers individual agency,” the statement says. “Our programs encompass community outreach, a drop-in center providing HIV testing, harm reduction, PrEP, medical linkage, case management, and assistance in accessing housing services,” it says.
Among those participating in the street renaming ceremony were Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, interim director of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Alexis Blackmon, and Dominique Morgan, an official with the national foundation Borealis Philanthropy, which provides financial support for transgender supportive nonprofit organizations, including Safe Haven.
“This is a significant achievement and historic moment for our city,” a statement by Maryland Safe Haven announcing the ceremony says. “Iya Dammons has been a tireless advocate for transgender rights and has worked tirelessly to provide safe spaces and resources for transgender individuals in our city,” it says. “This honor is well-deserved, and we are thrilled to see her contributions recognized in such a meaningful way.”
Baltimore
Despite record crowds, Baltimore Pride’s LGBTQ critics say organizers dropped the ball
People on social media expressed concern about block party stampede
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | This year’s Baltimore Pride Week attracted 150,000 people — record attendance that far exceeded initial projections of 100,000.
But some see room for improvement and want organizers to address safety issues and make changes so the annual event that celebrates the LGBTQ population is better run.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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